Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure and Thermal Processing on the Shelf Life and Quality Attributes of Apple-Kiwi-Carrot Puree Blend

Abstract

The effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) (400 MPa/2 min and 500 MPa/2 min) and thermal processing (TP) (90°C/2 min) on the microorganisms, nutrition, color, endogenous enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, and rheological properties of blended apple-kiwi-carrot puree were comprehensively evaluated after processing and during storage at 4°C. Results showed the microbiological shelf life of the HHP or TP products was at least 24 days. TP inactivated polyphenol oxidase activity more effectively, retaining more polyphenols in samples during storage, whereas HHP treatments were more beneficial for the preservation of ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, β-carotene, and antioxidant capacity. During storage, there was no significant difference in PME activity among all treated samples, but particle size distribution and viscoelasticity tests demonstrated that the 400 MPa treated samples were more stable in their textures. Moreover, the principal component analysis (PCA) intuitively revealed that the overall sensory and nutritional attributes of the HHP-treated samples were closer to the fresh product. These results demonstrated that HHP could be a better choice than TP for use in the production of high-quality puree blends.

Effects of Equivalent Processing Conditions for Microbial Inactivation by Innovative Nonthermal Technologies on the Safety, Quality, and Shelf-Life of Reineta Parda Apple Puree

“…When it comes to the application of the aforementioned processing technologies, previous studies from Tian et al (2023) have demonstrated the feasibility of HPP (400 and 500 MPa for 2 min) to extend the shelf-life of an apple-kiwi-carrot puree, as well as to retain some nutritional attributes such as ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, and antioxidant capacity [10]. A study analysing the effects of HPP (600 MPa, 15 min, 48 • C) and US (460 W/cm 2 , 24 kHz, 15 min, 33 ± 7 • C) on strawberry puree was performed by Sulaiman et al (2017) who reported that HPP was better than US to retain antioxidant activity over a period of 30 days at 3 • C, while the later performed better to retain colour [11].…”